LAFA Winners - October 2025

LAFA Winner

Best Picture

Deepfaking Sam Altman - Adam Bhala Lough

Best Narrative Feature

LA Jesus - Richard David Charles Boddington

Best Narrative Short

Hurt - Jeremy Kunkle

Honorable Mention: Narrative Film

4 Long Years - David DeSantos, Molly Durand

Best Indie Feature

Lost with You - Mike Southerly

Honorable Mention: Indie Feature

Blair County: A People's History - Mark Andrew Frederick

Best Indie Short

The Bell Rings - Qianyunuo Qiu

Honorable Mention: Indie Short

KAMARIA - Pengcheng Gao

Best Dark Comedy

Dating Politics - Antonio De La Cruz

Best AI Film

The Unfamiliar - Youngseo Kim

Best Thriller

Do You See Her? - Matthew Villescas, Caridad Polee

Best Horror

Insentient - Vince Remo

Best Romance Film

Trolley - Haruna Ito, Kenji Shintaku

Best Sci-Fi

Ghosts of Things to Come - Germano Sardinha

Best Experimental Film

The Answering Machine - Jose Cortes

Best Inspirational Film

The Magic of Movement - Tommy Duncan

Best Musical/Dance Film

The Making of Star Among the Cosmic Clouds: from Song to Symphony - Susan Mey Lee Lim

Best LGBTQ Film

The Closet - Olivia Jean Hamilton

Best Action Film

CHILDE - Jyo Carolino

Best Commercial

Own Your Light. Be Velvet. - Hyunggeun Oh

Best Documentary Feature

Deepfaking Sam Altman - Adam Bhala Lough

Honorable Mention: Documentary Feature

The River At The Bottom Of My Garden - Guillaume Mazille

Best Documentary Short

Spirit of the Driftless - Jonas Stenstrom, Timothy Steven Jacobson, Rob Nelson, George Howe

Honorable Mention: Documentary Short

Na'tsa'maht: Together As One - Elliot Logan

Best Animation

Wonderland - Xiaochen Zheng, Yadan Tan, Xinyao Yan

Honorable Mention: Animation

The Family Photo - John Norris Ray, Maria Victoria Sanchez

Best Music Video

Yoga Lin x Ng KiPin - Time - Yasuhiro Arafune

Honorable Mention: Music Video

Strolling Down Brighton Pier - Kenny McCracken

Best Student Film

Embers - Jinyang Li

Honorable Mention: Student Film

Sickness - Xueying Wang, Xinglan Wei, Yanbing

Best Microfilm

I Love NY - Dana Kim

Honorable Mention: Microfilm

Take it, then leave me - Nox Nackman

Best Director (Feature)

Brown & Bonded - James Evans

Honorable Mention: Director (Feature)

The WOMEN IN SECURITY Documentary - Yvette Freeman

Best Director (Short)

The Cage - Zhuo Qian

Honorable Mention: Director (Short)

Bloodbound - Mustafa Abbas

Best First Time Director (Feature)

Predator - Sezgin Irmak

Honorable Mention: First Time Director (Feature)

Blair County: A People's History - Mark Andrew Frederick

Best First Time Director (Short)

Duck - Michel Duprez

Honorable Mention: First Time Director (Short)

Promposal - Lauren Allen

Best Indie Filmmaker

Na'tsa'maht: Together As One - Elliot Logan

Honorable Mention: Indie Filmmaker

Don't Kill the Vibe - Talia Krausz

Best Young Filmmaker

Hide and Seek - Xiyuan Qiao

Honorable Mention: Young Filmmaker

Honour's Veil - Lavanya Manikkan

Best Actor

Duck - Raffaele Giuliani

Honorable Mention: Actor

Do You See Her? - Jackson George

Best Actress

The Long Way Back - Stephanie "Will" Nicole Wilson

Honorable Mention: Actress

The Gift of Talisman - Xinyi Liu

Best Actor in an Indie Film

Friends - Shaon Harkoo

Best Actress in an Indie Film

How To Survive Hollywood - Monica Keena

Best Supporting Actor

Bloodbound - SJ Kennedy

Best Young Actor

Hurt - Antonio Dean

Best Young Actress

Divided at Delivery - Sophia Shannon

Best Duo

4 Long Years - Molly Durand & John Fairbairn

Honorable Mention: Duo

Duck - Chloé Struvay & Raffaele Giuliani

Best Ensemble

Still Morning - Pam Renall, Carissa Blades, Blake Amadeo, Danielle Mullen, Gavin White, Bekah Jung, Diane Grzywa

Best Cinematography

Strolling Down Brighton Pier - Jonathan Nicol

Honorable Mention: Cinematography

Spirit of the Driftless - Rob Nelson, Jonas Stenstrom, Alan Stankevitz, Jake Greseth, Timothy Steven Jacobson, Raptor Resource Project

Best Editing

Hurt - Jeremy Kunkle

Honorable Mention: Editing

Duck - Michel Duprez

Best Score

The Tomb of Nosferatu - Giuseppe Vasapolli

Honorable Mention: Score

Promposal - Carson Ripley

Best Song

Strolling Down Brighton Pier - Kurt Rosenberg

Inspiring Woman in a Film

Still Morning - Pam Renall

Best Costume Design

Strolling Down Brighton Pier - Fraggle Jury

Best Original Story

Ghosts of Things to Come - Germano Sardinha

Honorable Mention: Original Story

Hurt - Matt Simon

Screenplay of the Month

MNEMONIC - Tae Kwon

Best Feature Screenplay

Death in Poland - Grant Huffman

Best Drama Screenplay

Bonsai - Eva Golinger

Best Thriller Screenplay

Feral Mountains - Terry Luke Podnar

Best Sci-Fi Screenplay

Sovereign State: Absence Algorithm - Adron Gordon

Best First Time Screenwriter (Feature)

MNEMONIC - Tae Kwon

Honorable Mention: First Time Screenwriter (Feature)

The Baby Clause - LK Bermudez

Best First Time Screenwriter (Short)

Silent Screams - Jiayi Ouyang

Best Television Script

Germaphobe In a Sex Club - Jessica Ennis

Honorable Mention: Television Script

The Second Coming - Michael William Hogan

Special Jury Award - Film

Sickness - Xueying Wang, Xinglan Wei, Yanbing

Special Jury Award - Screenplay

Lemuria Almost Home - Phillip Elton Collins, David Sheridan Spangler

The River At The Bottom Of My Garden - Trailer:

* Winners may order an official LAFA statuette

* Winners may order a review - FilmFreeway Gold members get $50 off